Missed Our Webinar on Digital Markers and Health Technology? Here Are the Key Takeaways

Missed Our Webinar on Digital Markers and Health Technology? Here Are the Key Takeaways

Aug 12, 2025

Copenhagen, Denmark 

On the 11th of June, we hosted our webinar Unlocking the Future of Mental and Behavioural Health with Digital Biomarkers and Health Technology. Our speakers, Maria Faurholt-Jepsen, Associate Professor and psychiatrist at the University of Copenhagen, and Emil Kortsen, Product Manager at Monsenso, explored how digital tools are transforming health research, monitoring, and treatment.

You can watch the full session on-demand here: view the recording.

From smartphone-based symptom tracking to AI-powered personalised care, here are the main takeaways:

1. Digital phenotyping is transforming mental health care

Smartphone-based solutions can collect both active (self-reported) and passive (sensor-derived) data. This fine-grained, real-time information provides clinicians with a more accurate picture of patient wellbeing, reducing reliance on memory and subjective observation.

2. Mood instability matters – and we can measure it

Longitudinal studies reveal that mood instability, especially in bipolar type II disorder, is more common and impactful than previously thought. Even between episodes, these fluctuations can significantly reduce quality of life, functioning, and resilience.

3. Passive data can detect symptom changes

Patterns in phone usage, mobility, and even voice features correlate strongly with depressive and manic states. For example, decreased movement and increased behavioural irregularity can distinguish bipolar from unipolar depression.

4. Clinical trials are integrating digital biomarkers

Ongoing trials are using daily monitoring to measure treatment response, ranging from medication effects to psychoeducation programmes. While some studies have not shown primary outcome changes, they have demonstrated benefits such as reduced stress, less rumination, and improved quality of life.

5. Personalised, stepped care is already here

The Personae Project uses digital tools to deliver customised treatment for depression. Based on validated questionnaires, it creates tailored therapy content and adjusts care intensity in real time depending on each patient’s progress.

6. Digital tools bridge psychiatric and physical healthcare

In the Phase V Project, digital monitoring is helping manage diabetic foot ulcers. Patients and home-care staff can submit wound assessments and photos to hospital specialists, enabling timely interventions and reducing unnecessary visits. Phase V also includes studies in obesity and urticaria.

7. Engagement thrives on relevance

Projects have achieved high compliance (often 75%+) when patients see real value in the system. Personalised recommendations, timely feedback, and flexibility to “hop on and off” monitoring are key to sustained use.

8. AI will power the next generation of digital care

From detecting symptom shifts to personalising interventions, AI is already being trialled in projects like MENTBEST and Personae. These tools aim to provide predictive insights while meeting strict ethical and data protection standards.

Join us next time

Don’t miss our next webinar: 2 September 2025 at 15:30 CEST – Personalised, Data-Driven Blended Care: Insights from the Personae Project.
Discover how personalised, data-driven care can transform outcomes across mental health services.

Register here

To learn more or explore a pilot or integration, book a demo or get in touch via our website.

 

Solution
Participant Recruitment Begins for MENTBEST Research Project in Denmark

Participant Recruitment Begins for MENTBEST Research Project in Denmark

Jun 19, 2025

Copenhagen, Denmark 

We are excited to announce the launch of participant recruitment for the Danish arm of the European research project MENTBEST. The project is now seeking individuals to join a new study led by the Copenhagen Affective Disorder Research Center at Psychiatric Center Copenhagen, Region Hovedstadens Psykiatri.

About the Study

The aim of the study is to explore how a digital app can support individuals in managing depressive symptoms. As part of the larger MENTBEST initiative, this research trial will contribute to the development and validation of a personalised, AI-enabled self-care programme built on Monsenso’s digital health platform.

Who Can Participate?

We are looking for individuals who are currently experiencing depressive symptoms or who have previously been diagnosed with depression.

Common symptoms include:

  • Persistent sadness
  • Reduced interest or pleasure in activities
  • Lower energy levels
  • Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
  • Fatigue and disrupted sleep
  • Changes in appetite

If this sounds familiar and you are interested in contributing to mental health research, we would like to hear from you!

About MENTBEST

MENTBEST (Mental Health Best Practices) – a Horizon Europe project funded by European Commision – is aiming to develop innovative, community-based mental health interventions. It targets vulnerable populations across Europe who are at high risk of developing mental health challenges due to rapid societal change. The project spans five countries: Denmark, Germany, Spain, Ireland, and Greece, and brings together 14 expert organisations under the leadership of the European Alliance Against Depression (EAAD).

The project focuses on delivering scalable, digital, evidence-based tools to strengthen self-help and resilience in the face of mental health challenges. In Denmark, the trial is being conducted in partnership with Monsenso, a digital mental health company, and mental health researchers from Region Hovedstaden.

Contact Information

To participate or learn more, please contact:

Malene Schwarz Dyrehot
 Project Nurse, CADIC
 📞 +45 21 52 34 53
 📧 pck-mentina.region-hovedstadens-psykiatri@regionh.dk

For updates and further information, follow the MENTBEST LinkedIn page.

 To learn more or explore a pilot or integration, book a demo or get in touch via our website.

 

Solution
Personae Project Reaches First Recruitment Milestone in Denmark

Personae Project Reaches First Recruitment Milestone in Denmark

Jun 12, 2025

Copenhagen, Denmark 

We are delighted to announce an important milestone for the Personae project: On June 11, the first patient was enrolled in the Danish study at Center for Digital Psychiatry at Region South Denmark.

About the project

Personae is a research and innovation initiative supported by Innovation Fund Denmark. It develops and evaluates AI-enabled blended care for mental health by combining smartphone technology, patient-reported outcomes, and internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) to tailor treatment to the individual, with a particular focus on depression.

COLLABORATION

The study is led by the Copenhagen Affective Disorder Research Center (CADIC) at Psychiatric Center Copenhagen, Region Hovedstadens Psykiatri, in close collaboration with Monsenso, and brings together additional partners from Denmark and Ireland: the University of Limerick (D²iCE), the Centre for Innovative Medical Technology (CIMT), and Depressionsforeningen.

This first recruitment marks an exciting step forward in realising the project’s ambitions to deliver scalable, digital, evidence-based solutions that strengthen access to mental health care across Europe.

For more information about the project and its progress, visit the Personae website or follow Monsenso on LinkedIn.

 To learn more or explore a pilot or integration, book a demo or get in touch via our website.

Solution
Interested in using mHealth technology but don’t know how to start?

Interested in using mHealth technology but don’t know how to start?

Jun 15, 2020

On a previous blog post, we established that patients value mHealth technology; therefore, the sooner healthcare providers embrace this technology, the better.

Fortunately, mHealth technology does not only offer benefits for patients, it also solves many of today’s healthcare challenges, since it provides public and private healthcare providers the scalability to treat more patients with fewer resources.

Nevertheless, in spite of the clear benefits, most healthcare providers, have not yet fully adopted mHealth technology due to several reasons:

  • Lack of budget
  • Lack of awareness of the benefits of using the technology
  • Feeling overwhelmed on the increasing amount of health apps available
  • Fear of the amount of time needed to learn to use the new technology
  • Strong belief that patients’ lack of the necessary knowledge to use the technology

Fortunately, our mHealth solution can help you avoid these obstacles. Here’s how:

  • Lack of Budget: 
    • A lack of budget may seem like the largest impediment to acquiring digital health tools and necessary technology. However, this should be considered as a valuable investment.  One of the most tangible benefits of using portable, real time updated, mobile health technology is its consistent availability for patients and clinicians. Our mHealth solution synchronises the data from the patient’s smartphone to the clinician’s web portal in real time. Patients can feel connected to their treatment and their clinician beyond scheduled sessions. mHealth technology can ultimately record more data and information regarding the patient’s progress than old pen and paper methods, and provide availability and support for the patient when the clinician cannot physically be there. A more informed treatment can save time and resources for patient and healthcare alike.
  • There are several benefits to using our technology that you may have not known of:
  • Another barrier that healthcare professionals may face is the selection of the right mHealth solution.
    • Although there are currently 165,000 mobile health apps on the market, the selection does not have to be daunting. A good way to begin this selection is by identifying and specifying what types of disorders you would like assistance with from your mHealth app.  Another way to narrow down the selection is through the identification of the mHealth solutions that possess quality stamps (such as CE Marks and ISO certifications) as well as a clinical validation. In order to obtain the certification, these solutions must have passed a set of agreed upon standards for medical devices that cover data security management and quality of material.
  • Interactive and consistent support: 
    • We understand that using technology can be frustrating and difficult, which is why at Monsenso we offer several ways to get help from real people – instead of an automated service.  We offer an interactive support portal and dedicated customer support team, as well as a detailed user guide.

Still have questions about mHealth? Feel free to contact us or leave us a comment below.

I Truly Believe Monsenso Can Help Others with Bipolar Disorder Type 2

I Truly Believe Monsenso Can Help Others with Bipolar Disorder Type 2

Sep 11, 2018

Peter Hagelund’s has a documentary series in Danish called “Jeg savner min sygdom” which translates to “I miss my illness” the series is about living with Bipolar Disorder Type 2. Click on this link to watch the documentary.

In 2014, I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder Type 2.

During my whole life, I had known that something was different about me. I always struggled with depression and anxiety, and what eventually turned out to be hypomania. When I was 22, I had my first big depression episode and had to start taking antidepressants. However, it would take me six more years before I was officially diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder Type 2.

The tricky thing about having this diagnosis is that you do not experience the typical manic episode where you are over-energetic and nearly psychotic. Instead, you’re hypomanic, which means that you’re socially well functioning. You’re not psychotic. You actually feel really good. So the problem is, that you don’t go to your psychiatrist and say that you feel too well. At least I didn’t.

The reason why my psychiatrist found out I had Bipolar Disorder was because I couldn’t get out of my depression. At first, my psychiatrist diagnosed me with depression and ADD. But these diagnoses didn’t seem to fit because I still had strong mood swings and a lot of anxiety. When I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder Type 2, it actually made sense. Suddenly, I could see why I had felt the way I had most of my life.

I really believe that the Monsenso smartphone app could have helped my psychiatrist give me the right diagnosis at an earlier stage because the app helps me to keep track of my mood and to become more aware of how I feel. With the app, I have to pause and take a moment to think about how I’ve actually been doing before entering my answers. Keeping track of all this information has helped my treatment. My psychiatrist and I can plan better on how to avoid my future depressive or hypomanic episodes because we can clearly identify when I am having mood swings.  

In August 2018, my documentary about living with Bipolar Disorder aired on national Danish television and the response was overwhelming. Many people have contacted me, to thank me for talking about my illness. I had made the documentary so other people who have this illness, are not ashamed of it and I think I succeeded.

My hope is that in the future people are diagnosed at an earlier stage than I was and I truly believe the Monsenso app is one of the things that can help. I really hope that other psychiatrists and their patients will start using the app.

Click here to read this story in Danish.

“Monsenso helps me to maintain balance between manic and depressive episodes.” Mads Trier-Blom’s Customer Story

“Monsenso helps me to maintain balance between manic and depressive episodes.” Mads Trier-Blom’s Customer Story

Sep 5, 2018

Monsenso user, Mads Trier-Blom, speaks of his experience using the Monsenso app as a part of a clinical trial. The Monsenso app has helped Mads to become more connected with his clinician, Bente so that she could help intervene with Mads’s moods even before it turned into an episode.

The app helped him to become more aware of his mood, and other factors, such as sleep, and their influence on his bipolar affective disorder. To Mads, having bipolar disorder means constantly keep a balance, to prevent losing control to either depressive or manic episodes.

“In my life with bipolar disorder, I see myself as a tightrope walker. This metaphor for living with bipolar disorder is very meaningful. I feel like a tightrope walker because when living with bipolar disorder, you constantly have to prevent losing control to either depressive episodes or manic episodes. You are able to avoid this through earlier registration on how your mood is fluctuating so that the app can help you to keep in control of your life.” says Mads Trier-Blom.

During Mads’s time in his clinical trial, he felt more connected to his clinician, Bente. He recalls an instance where he had missed completing his self-assessments for a couple of days, and Bente had called him to check and see how he was doing. With Bente calling to check in on him, it helped Mads to become more aware of how his mood.

“One day, I was driving in my car and I was a little tense. Suddenly, the phone rang. It was this lady, saying, ‘Hi, my name is Bente and I just wanted to hear about how you are doing. At first, I was like,’Who are you, why are you calling me?’ and then she said, ‘Well, you’re on this trial and I can see that you haven’t made registrations for 3 days. So I thought, ‘Oh yeah, this is true. I am kind of tense at the moment, but yeah I think it’s okay; but still this answering back to the clinician and the clinician is able to call you back which makes you aware and alert.” says Mads Trier-Blom.